Mariners alone in 1st thanks to Crawford's 9th-inning HR

NEW YORK – As the Mariners have surged back into the thick of a three-way race for the American League West, posting the best record in baseball (39-16) and outscoring opponents by a 292-195 margin since July 1, it hasn’t always been easy.

Seattle has shown a flair for the dramatic when warranted, especially on the road, and that came to pass once more on Saturday night at Citi Field. In a momentum-shifting contest that was twice tied, shortstop J.P. Crawford launched a go-ahead solo home run to lead off the ninth inning -- his first career go-ahead homer in the ninth or later -- to propel the Mariners to a pivotal 8-7 win over the Mets.

Crawford’s blast to right field on the second pitch he saw from Mets right-hander Adam Ottavino ensured that Seattle sat in first place with a one-game advantage in the division race after the Astros’ loss to the Yankees on Saturday.

“There’s a lot of guys on our team we wouldn't be in a good place without, but at the top of the list is J.P.,” said manager Scott Servais. “His consistency throughout the year, the big hits, [he’s] kind of the glue that keeps the whole thing together in the middle of the field. The big hits don't surprise me that much with him anymore.”

• Games remaining: at NYM (1), at CIN (3), at TB (4), vs. LAA (3), vs. LAD (3), at OAK (3), at TEX (3), vs. HOU (3), vs. TEX (4)
• Standings update: The Mariners (77-58) hold a one-game lead over the Astros (77-60) for the AL West lead. Seattle is currently the second-best division leader, meaning it would host a five-game AL Division Series vs. the winner of a Wild Card Series starting on Oct. 7.

Crawford’s clutch dinger was the Mariners’ sixth go-ahead homer in the ninth inning or later this season -- the most of any AL club -- and it gave him 14 long balls on the year, extending his career-best mark. On a night when he went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, there was also a possibility that he might not have been in the game when the ninth rolled around.

The left-handed-hitting Crawford was drilled on his right hand by an 84.5 mph changeup in his fifth-inning at-bat against Mets starter David Peterson. Though he was momentarily shaken up, he soon took his place at first base, which came in handy a few batters later. After being moved up to third on a groundout and a single, Crawford sped home on Teoscar Hernández’s sacrifice fly to right, crossing home plate in the nick of time for Seattle’s second go-ahead run of the night.

“It’s going to take a lot for me to come out of the game, especially around now in September when we’re chasing something,” Crawford said. “Something would have to be broken or the trainers are going to have to tell me to come out of the game at this point.”

Hernández was responsible for the first go-ahead run as well, opening the scoring in the second inning with his 24th homer of the season. It was more of the same for Hernández, who hit .365 with 22 RBIs and a 1.050 OPS in 26 games during Seattle’s franchise-record 21-win August.

“It’s awesome,” said reliever Justin Topa, who earned the win with four outs in the eighth and ninth. “Teo’s past month and a half has been unbelievable. J.P. seems like he’s up in every big spot and does damage every time.”

Though the Mets threatened to play spoiler once more in the bottom of the ninth, the Mariners were the beneficiary of a decision from Daniel Vogelbach (Friday’s hero for New York) to try to stretch a leadoff single into a double.

Left fielder Sam Haggerty corralled the ball and got it in quickly to Crawford, who was briefly caught off guard by Vogelbach charging into second. But he recovered quickly and fired a laser to second baseman Josh Rojas, who tagged Vogelbach out in advance of his headfirst slide. It was a play that Crawford said, “I’ve never seen before in all my years of playing.”

Seattle certainly didn’t mind getting some help along the way, especially after such a hard-fought battle. Now, the Mariners find themselves in the driver’s seat in the division and enter Sunday’s rubber match with a chance at their 12th series win in their last 13 tries.

“The grind has been really fun,” Crawford said. “We’ve been through the highest of highs, we’ve been through the lowest of lows. It’s kind of a full-circle effect, and we’re just riding that wave right now.”